High-ranking US naval officer thanks Qld

One of the United States Navy's most senior figures has temporarily left his post in the Pacific to commemorate the role Queensland played in World War II.

Vice-Admiral Phillip G Sawyer on Wednesday sat in the same chair as General Douglas MacArthur did when he formed the formidable 7th Fleet in Brisbane in 1943.

He and US Consul General Valerie Fowler then laid a wreath at the Submariner's Heritage Trail along the river, as part of the 75th anniversary of the naval fleet's formation.

Vice-Adml Sawyer, who commands the 7th Fleet, said it was important to remember where the two countries' bond had come from.

"It shows the sign of the enduring relationship that we have between the United States and Australia," he told AAP.

Gen MacArthur was the commander of the Allied forces in the south-west Pacific during WWII.

The 7th fleet, featuring several Australian naval ships, fought in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines in 1944 - the largest naval battle of the war.

Ms Fowler said Gen MacArthur moved his headquarters from Melbourne to Brisbane because he wanted to ensure the whole of Australia was protected.

"He wanted to be closer to the fight and he wanted to make sure the Japanese knew he was closer to the fight," she told AAP.

"At that point they were threatening Papua New Guinea where an invasion there would've given them an easy launch point into Australia for a near-certain invasion of this country."

Ms Fowler said the history between Australia and the US, as reflected in the MacArthur Museum in Brisbane where the general's office remains intact, continued to be replicated by the two nations' defence forces.

"This is a very alive relationship, friendship, partnership and alliance," she said.

Ms Fowler and Vice-Adml Sawyer were set to attend a civic reception with Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk and a commemorative service at Albert St Uniting Church on Wednesday night.